A man walks past Cuban and U.S. flags at the 33rd Havana International Trade Fair in Havana, Cuba, on Nov. 2, 2015.(Photo: AP)
MIAMI —<span style="color: Red;">*</span>The U.S. and Cuba took another step toward normalizing relations Friday by agreeing<span style="color: Red;">*</span>to test direct mail service<span style="color: Red;">*</span>between the two countries for the first time in more than 50 years.
The announcement comes less than a week before the first<span style="color: Red;">*</span>anniversary of the historic Dec. 17 announcement by President Obama and Cuban President Raúl Castro that the Cold War foes would begin reestablishing diplomatic relations.
Until now, mailing items to Cuba was a complicated, highly-regulated process that made it difficult for Americans to ship letters or items to friends or relatives on the island.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>The U.S. Postal Service has an entire page on its Web site explaining the long list of regulations set forth by the Department of Commerce. And most shipments go through third-party countries, such as Canada and Mexico.
The U.S. and Cuban governments will start a pilot program in the coming weeks that will ship some parcels directly between the two countries. According to a statement from the Cuban Embassy in Washington, D.C., the program will test the technical aspects of direct shipments as well as security screening procedures required by both countries.
The statement said the plan is to completely expand mail services in the near future.
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